The Vow of Chastity

Chastity, which is most perfectly embodied in Our Lord, is conferred as a gift by His Spirit in the hearts of those He has called to a life of total consecration.

"Through her joyous response to this gift, each Sister becomes a unique source of spiritual fruitfulness, a radiant and tangible sign of the Church as Virgin, Spouse and Mother, made holy by her intimate union with Christ. Each Sister is wedded to Christ through the vow of chastity and within this spousal relationship she ministers to the wounded members of His Body, the Church" (Constitutions of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, 12).

"Chastity frees the human heart in a remarkable manner, so that it burns with a love for God and for all people" (Directives on Formation, 13; Perfectae Caritatis, 12).

Venerable Catherine said, "We belong to God. All in us is His. The chastity to which a religious binds herself by vow is a virtue which makes her, in some manner, equal to the angels."